


Freely They Fell

by littlemissmagic



Series: Freely They Fell [1]
Category: Infernal Devices Series - Cassandra Clare, Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Gen, Original Characters - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2013-10-08
Packaged: 2017-12-28 20:15:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/996108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemissmagic/pseuds/littlemissmagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Several years after the events of The Mortal Instruments, the Shadowhunting world is faced with new challenges and enemies. The Nephilim population is going up, but the enemies of the Shadowhunters are also becoming stronger. Training young Shadowhunters has become the top priority, leaving little room for a normal childhood. But parabatai warriors and best friends Kayla and Zac do their best to mix work and play. Kayla is about to become an adult and discovers that she's not a dating pariah, and Zac learns that maybe there are things worth giving up his playboy lifestyle for. Of course things are never simple for Nephilim and a new danger is emerging into the streets of Manhattan and when Kayla's dad leaves on another quest for the answer to his wife's death, his daughter is left to wonder whether or not she is prepared for the coming storm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Freely They Fell

**Author's Note:**

> There are original characters in this story. The characters that appeared in The Mortal Instruments are alluded to and may show up, but the story is not about them.

“Okay okay okay, explain that again?” Kayla said with an air of frustration as she lifted her head from the table she was sitting at.  
“It’s not a difficult concept Kayla,” The man sitting across from her said. They were in a library, seated at a great oak table where there were books and papers and pens and a couple of daggers. The library itself was huge, shelves upon shelves of books lined the walls and there was a level about ten feet above the ground where people could go to get the books that were higher up. In the back of the room, opposite the oak doors, stood a statue of an angel. In his right hand was an intricately carved goblet, and in the other hand he held a great sword. Behind him were great picture windows that showed the view of Manhattan. It was night outside and the lights of the city sparkled like stars.  
“Yes it is Eric.” She groaned and leaned on her hand, “I’m not a warlock, I couldn’t summon a demon if I wanted to. So why am I learning this?”  
“Consider this,” Eric said, he put his hands together in front of his face and looked at her with his ever patient eyes, Kayla rolled her’s, “You are called to a situation where a warlock is summoning a demon. A greater demon, shall we say. And you run in brandishing all your weapons and all your strength but you cannot disrupt the ceremony because you don’t know how it works. Sure you can run about destroying things -”  
“Or I could just kill the warlock.” Kayla said simply as she scribbled mindlessly on her paper. Eric’s eyes flashed with anger.  
“Kayla.” He hissed and she looked up, “You know very well that when you carry out your duties you cannot simply kill everything that gets in your way. Our Accords still stand.”  
“So what am I supposed to do? Not kill him and let him summon a demon? He broke the law!” She knew she was fighting a losing battle but she didn’t care. Her stubbornness wouldn’t let her give up.  
“Yes he defied the law, but it is your job to stop the ritual, reprimand the Warlock and bring him to the custody of the Clave where he will stand trial for his crimes.”  
“Seems like I could save a lot of time and effort by just cutting his throat...” Kayla murmured, but she didn’t press the issue further. Her patience was tested as she listened to the rest of Eric’s lecture about Warlock rituals and she took extensive notes, putting on the guise of dedicated student to get back on Eric’s good side. When he was finished with her he seemed pleased enough and allowed her to leave without a quiz.  
She smiled at him as she gathered her stuff, shoving her books into her bag and ran out of the library, headed to the attic of the Institute.  
The Institute was a massive church in the middle of Manhattan that served as a safe haven and a training ground for Shadowhunters, humans born with Angel blood in them and therefore bound to lives of demon hunting. The church was Kayla’s home as well. She had lived here almost her entire life, she knew every nook and cranny of the building, and every secret it held. Almost. Her brown hair trailed behind her as she raced through the stone corridors. The door of her bedroom flew open as she raced into it, carelessly dumping her bag on the floor before grabbing her favorite dagger off her desk and racing out again.  
When she finally reached her destination, a pair of steel double doors that were at the top of a staircase in the attic, she paused with her body pressed against the cool metal and her ear next to the crack. She was taught to never interrupt a fight in the training room. She detected casual talking on the other side of the door so she decided it was safe to enter. When she opened the door, the two men on the other side of it looked up.  
“Hey dad,” She said casually to the older man on the left. He was a large man, though he held almost no body fat. Reaching well over six feet tall, Kayla’s father looked as if weakness wasn’t in his vocabulary. He wore black Shadowhunting gear, leather and silver buckles created a protective shell, and he held a glowing seraph blade in his right hand. He nodded when she greeted him. The boy he was conversing with was a great deal smaller. Reaching the neck of his teacher, the boy was also wearing Shadowhunting gear but rather than a blade, he held a bow staff across his shoulders, his arms hanging loosely off of it, “Hi Zac,” She greeted the boy. Kayla had always thought of Zac as her equal, they were parabatai after all, but others described him as slight, like a gust of wind could blow him away. Zac had an aura about him that made people gravitate to him. He was easy to love and easy to protect, or at least he made people want to protect him. But Kayla knew he didn’t need protecting. On his slight frame were strong, corded muscles that wielded a bow staff with deadly precision.  
“Kayla. Did Eric release you?” Her father said in a warning tone.  
“No dad, I tied him up, put a silence rune on him and locked him in the broom closet.” She said sarcastically and her father’s eyes narrowed, “Of course he released me dad. I know all I need to know about Warlock demon summoning rituals. I got it down.” She smiled at him and moved forward, spinning her dagger expertly on her right hand, “So can I do the fun stuff now?”  
A very short hour later Kayla’s father made them put their weapons away and go to bed, of course Zac and Kayla rarely went to bed when they were told.  
“And Zac,” Her father said as they were about to leave the room, they both turned, “I heard from your mother. She should be home from Idris very soon.” Zac nodded and smiled. He had been missing his mother a lot lately. Before the pair could turn to leave, Kayla’s father called her over to him.  
Their relationship had always been less like father and daughter and more like teacher and student, of course Kayla had seen how Zac was with his parents and tried to replicate that with her father to little success. He seemed to keep her at arms length from him, and she was almost sure why. So she wasn’t surprised when instead of a hug, he gave her advice.  
“Watch your left arm when you’re fighting Zac with your dagger. You almost forget it’s there and you’re vulnerable. Alright?”  
“Okay. Thanks dad.” She said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her tone. When he turned to organize the katanas, she left with Zac.  
“God I just wish I could get through to him you know?” Kayla rubbed her eyes in frustration as the pair went down the stairs that lead to the rest of the institute.  
“You will. I think you’ve been doing well.” Zac tried to give her a reassuring smile but Kayla wasn’t looking at him.  
“‘Well’ isn’t good enough apparently.” She sighed and looked at the ceiling, “I bet if my mom were still around he would be okay...”  
“He just needs time, and I think you should keep trying. Abram just needs time.” Zac had given up on calling Kayla’s father Mr. Ravenscar long ago.  
“By the Angel how much time do I need to give him?” Kayla asked. Sensing the question was rhetorical, Zac said nothing.  
Naomi, Kayla’s mother, had passed during childbirth due to unexplainable reasons. Everything had apparently been going smoothly, it was a near perfect delivery. When Kayla had been born and Naomi was sure that her baby girl was alive and healthy, Abram said that she simply sighed, closed her eyes, and she was gone. To this day he didn’t know why she had left him with a daughter to raise on his own. When he wasn’t training Zac or Kayla, he was searching for answers. Kayla feared that he would drive himself crazy trying to figure out what happened to his wife. His fatherly duties were limited to teaching her practical things, but not how to play, not how to love or how to make friends, that was left to Zac’s parents. When Kayla was five, Zac and his family moved into the Institute. Up until that point it had been Abram and Kayla alone, but when Zac, his father Eric and his mother Victoria moved in, Kayla felt like she finally had a family. All three adults served as her parents, training her, loving her and teaching her. This also gave Abram more time to research the situation with his wife. He was often traveling, leaving Kayla behind for weeks at a time. Though Eric and Victoria treated her like their daughter, she desperately wanted her own father. He had been so distracted all her life, she constantly wondered why she wasn’t enough for him.  
Kayla decided that she needed a distraction and she stopped walking in the hallway. It took Zac only a millisecond to realize she was no longer with him and he turned,  
“What’s up?”  
“Go change. We’re going out.”

Just a few minutes later, after telling his father where they were going, Zac met Kayla at the elevator. It was a very old model and Kayla was constantly complaining that the Clave really needed to update their technology.  
Zac was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a grey, short sleeve, button up shirt that he left open at the top. He often buttoned all the way to the top, but Kayla would unbutton them anyway so he never bothered anymore. Kayla wore black leggings that fit her like a second skin, and a loose shirt. The hem reached her thighs and the pattern was bright and colorful. Her thick brown hair tumbled across her shoulders in curls and she wore black velcro sneakers that covered her ankles. On her wrist was coiled a thick silver bracelet that reached her elbow.  
“Ready?” She said with a smile. She was proud of how Zac looked, he had come leaps and bounds with her help.  
“Did you tell your dad?”  
“No... why would I tell him?”  
“Well I thought you were trying to-”  
“I know. But he doesn’t care about where I go as long as I’m home for my lessons so it doesn’t matter.” She shrugged. Zac changed the subject.  
“You have your stele?” He asked as an after thought, knowing that she did somewhere on her person.  
“Of course I do. Why? Do you need a Mark?”  
“No, I just want to make sure. Never know when you’ll need a silence rune while doing the walk of shame,” He winked at her as the elevator slid into place. He opened the cage door and let Kayla go in first. Being eighteen years old, Zac was an adult in the Clave’s eyes and of course he had experienced more than Kayla. She was only seventeen, but her birthday was in just a few weeks so she was holding on. Kayla looked over at her companion, he had soft blonde hair and a kind disposition that made him seem unthreatening. His blue eyes were soft with kindness and his lashes were long. Many girls had called him beautiful and Kayla could see it. There were rumors among the Nephilim that he was descended from an angelic line, of course that was impossible. Angels never procreated with humans, but like the famed Jace Lightwood, people thought Angelic powers flowed through him. But unlike Jace, Zac was not quite as fast in battle. He was smooth, almost like a dancer, but there were times when he tried to leap away from a demon and had sustained scratches in the process. He always returned from raids with more injuries than Kayla. His expertise lied with books and magic, where Kayla failed in Warlock rituals, Zac soared.  
Brown curls fell into her face as she looked down at her hands. She was twisting her Ravenscar ring on her right ring finger. Her dark brown eyes then drifted to the parabatai rune that rested on her left forearm next to the crook of her elbow. It’s twin resided on Zac’s right shoulder blade. They had been marked when they were twelve years old when their parents decided that they should be linked whenever in battle. They were the perfect balance for each other, Zac with his quick mind and Kayla with her fighting abilities that rivaled those of her father. From that moment on, Zac and Kayla were inseparable in battle. There was no where that one could go and the other wouldn’t follow.  
The elevator rattled to a stop on the ground floor of the Institute and the pair stepped out into the church. The high vaulted stone ceilings always took Kayla’s breath away. The beauty of the Institute could not be rivaled in her opinion. Of course she loved all places of worship. As a Nephilim she didn’t adhere to one single faith, therefore every denomination could help her in her quest to rid the world of demons. She had seen Jewish Synagogues, Muslim Temples, Catholic Cathedrals and all of them radiated the beauty of the faith it represented. She often found herself wondering what that would be like, to give oneself over to a being that one was not entirely sure existed. Of course she and her fellow Shadowhunters knew of the existence and causes of Angels, not many had actually seen one, but they were there. All of them, and that itself gave her strength.  
The pair walked through the church and exited into the streets of Manhattan. Kayla’s home and favorite city, of all the ones she had seen.  
“Want to hail a cab?” Zac said, he gestured for her to step out into the street. She always had more success hailing cabs than he did. Kayla knew she was pretty with a lean frame, milky tan skin, dark chocolate eyes and thick brown hair, she looked exotic. Of course that was thanks to her mother’s Indian heritage, though Naomi was born in New Jersey. However, despite her looks, Kayla never seemed to be able to get a date. Sure she had a couple of steamy make out sessions in alleys behind the clubs that she and Zac went to, but that was the extent of her experiences with men. She had never been on a real date and no man presented himself as a possible boyfriend. Zac’s parents assured her that it was because of her intimidating confidence, but she doubted them. She was anything but confident when it came to guys.  
Her shoes hit the pavement as she stepped out a few feet into the road, her right arm outstretched, the silver bracelet glinting in the lights of the city. A couple of cabs zoomed past her without giving her a second glance, but finally an SUV pulled up and she and Zac climbed into the back of it. Kayla was about to give directions but then she realized she hadn’t even thought of where they wanted to go. As if sensing her problem Zac said the address of one of their favorite hang out spots, a club in SoHo. She smiled at him and he winked before he slid his seat belt on and sat back to enjoy the ride.  
When the cab dropped them off in SoHo, the party was in full swing. People stood outside the rough metal door, waiting to get inside and Kayla joined them with Zac. Kayla’s brown eyes scanned the group of people outside the club and peeled off the glamours that she noticed. A short, blonde girl seemed to radiate a glamour and Kayla pierced through it immediately. The blonde hair was actually yellow daisies and their stems tied into holes that littered the girl’s skinless skull. A boy in front of her didn’t have a glamour but Kayla could sense what he was as soon as she looked at him. Vampire. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she had to remind herself that he was not an enemy. At least not right now.  
It was then that Kayla set her eyes on the bouncer that guarded the front door. He wasn’t big and burly, but rather skinny. He was tall and wore a black beanie that stuck up on his head giving him a few extra inches. He had long brown hair with streaks of blonde in it that reached his collar bone. A sliver piercing gleamed in his nose reminding Kayla of a bull and he had a mustache and goatee that made Kayla think of a Disney villain. He turned and looked at her and when his eyes met her’s, her skin crawled. Where there should be irises and pupils, there was only black. Fathomless eyes that pierced through her and made a single word slice through her mind.  
Demon.  
Without thinking she ran toward him, Zac called her name, confused at her outburst, but she wasn’t listening. Her silver bracelet unwound itself from her arm and sparked with electricity. An electrum whip. A Lightwood whip.  
With startling precision she raised her arm and flicked her wrist so the whip tied itself around the demon’s ankle. She yanked hard and with a yell he fell to the ground. The crowd outside the club started to scatter, the humans that were there fled into the safety of their ignorant lives and hurried down the street, away from the chaos. But the downworlders, fairies and vampires and werewolves stayed to watch the commotion.  
“Shadowhunter...” They whispered  
“She doesn’t look like a Shadowhunter. Where are her Marks?”  
“There’s one! On her arm! See it?”  
Kayla ignored them as she leaped on top of the demon, pinning him to the ground, her knees in his shoulders.  
“And I thought I wasn’t going to have any fun tonight.” She smiled evilly and her whip wound back up her arm. She reached into her shoe and pulled out a silver dagger, “This would work better on werewolves of course, but I think it’ll get the job done with you.”  
He didn’t look that scared, just uncomfortable. He squinted his black eyes like he was looking into the sun and she felt uneasy, like he was looking right through her.  
“I do believe you will kill me swiftly,” He said with a deep, demonic voice, as if a child and a burly man were speaking in unison, “There is no shame to die by a daughter of heaven.” Kayla was taken aback and she paused before delivering her blow.  
“What did you-” but she didn’t have time to finish her question. A flash of light swooped in front of her and the demon’s head was no longer attached to it’s body. As it folded in on itself and disappeared into it’s home dimension, Kayla looked up to see Zac standing over her, a seraph blade in his hand.  
“Why did you do that?” She said, frustration leaking into her tone.  
“There was a demon under you. I killed it.”  
“Well yeah but it said something weird.”  
Zac looked instantly sorry, “I didn’t realize.” He knelt in front of her, “I’m sorry I just thought-”  
“That’s okay.” She stood and looked around at the downworlders staring at them, “Do you need something?” She said to the group, and they all turned away like lost birds and started talking amongst themselves.  
“What did it say?” Zac asked as he stood up.  
“It said it wasn’t ashamed to die by a daughter of heaven...” She looked at the spot on the sidewalk where the demon had vanished. Zac, however, was relieved.  
“By the Angel I thought you meant something sinister. Kayla, we’re all children of heaven as Nephilim. Of course he said that.”  
“But no demon has ever acted like that when I’ve killed them before. They didn’t lay there and take it with no shame...” She was so confused.  
“Do you want to go home?” Zac asked.  
“No. No that’s okay, but let’s go somewhere else...” Zac nodded and pulled out his mundane cell phone.  
Unlike their parents, Kayla and Zac had made mundane friends around the city and they found it necessary to have cell phones to not only contact their friends, but each other as well. After a few taps at the screen, Zac found a place a few blocks down. A small coffee shop that was having a battle of the bands. Kayla conceded and followed him down the street. They entered the small establishment and were greeted by low lighting, fabric wall hangings with psychedelic designs, and the smell of hookah. Kayla breathed in the scent of tobacco and found herself craving it. Her Shadowhunter blood didn’t allow for the buzz that it gave humans, but she enjoyed the taste and the look of the white smoke when it left her mouth. The venue was two levels, the street level held the bar where people could order an array of sandwiches and beverages both alcoholic and non and a couple of tables and couches for people to sit. Down just a half a flight of steps were more tables and couches and the small but adequate stage where a band was playing, rather poorly. Zac went over to the bar to order them some coffee and Kayla watched the band play. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a hand waving at her and she looked over to see a rather grungy older man smiling at her seductively. He was missing his two front teeth. Kayla made a face and hurried over to join Zac at the counter.  
“Nice tat.” The barista said to Kayla when she put her arms on the counter.  
“Thanks,” Kayla replied automatically. Of course the rune hadn’t been inked on her skin by a mundane, but she wouldn’t explain it to the girl. The barista was smaller both in stature and body mass. She reached Kayla’s chin and Zac’s shoulder. Zac, who was looking at her with renewed interest, smiled.  
“Do you have any?” He asked her.  
She paused, “Any what?”  
“Any tattoos.”  
“Oh.” Her cheeks reddened a bit, “Yeah I do.”  
“Well let’s see.” He smiled at her.  
“I can’t show you...”  
“Why not?”  
“I’m working...”  
“Ah.” He said simply. Kayla knew what he was doing and she rolled her eyes. Thankfully her coffee arrived just then and she elbowed Zac before she went to look for a seat closer to the stage. After a bit of searching she found a worn black leather couch. When she sat down the cushions were still warm so she tucked her legs beneath her as she began to sip her coffee. Thankfully the awful band was finishing their last song so Kayla didn’t have to listen to them long. She let her mind wander back to the demon. Why had he felt no shame? She didn’t even know demons were capable of feeling anything. Of course Princes of Hell probably felt, but they used to be angels. It was different for them. Kayla was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice the next act until he started talking. Her brown eyes were jerked back to the stage to see a young man sitting on a stool with a guitar on his lap. He wore a red plaid shirt, the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and dark blue jeans that looked like he had owned them for years. His legs were long and he wore black boots that touched the floor despite the fact that he sat on the stool. Kayla’s eyes left his body and went to his face. Her breath caught in her throat. His hair was brown, almost as dark as her’s but just as thick, longer on the top of his head and shorter on the sides. He had a beard too, a full beard but he kept it short, close to his face. He was on the thin side, but Kayla could see how his muscles filled out his shirt, his thick neck and his flat stomach that curved as he held his guitar. His nimble fingers strummed the guitar and he lifted his dark blue eyes to the audience.  
“Hey guys... I’m Aaron, I’ve got a couple songs for you tonight, I hope you like them.” He smiled. He had crooked teeth but they suited him and Kayla felt her pulse quicken.  
“You’re hot!” A girl shouted from the back of the room and he laughed, but didn’t say anything.  
Kayla shoved her attraction to him down. She would wind up disappointed just like she had every other time a guy grabbed her attention. She took a large gulp of hot coffee and the scalding heat brought her back down to earth. Though hearing his husky voice sing wasn’t helping at all.  
One song later Zac finally showed up.  
“Where have you been?” Kayla demanded when he plopped onto the couch next to her, his arm draped across the back.  
“Trying to get her number,” He said as he watched Aaron play, “Don’t worry, I succeeded.”  
Kayla rolled her eyes and looked out into the crowd. Almost every girl was leaning forward, intently listening to Aaron play. His husky voice permeated the venue as he hit the chorus of the song.  
“And we’ll never be royals. It don’t run in our blood,” He sang out and people cheered. Kayla tried to drink more coffee, but was met with an empty cup. She grumbled and Zac rolled his eyes before he snatched the cup from her.  
“Don’t worry your highness, I’ll get it.” He said. And then he was on his way back up to the bar, leaving Kayla alone again. Her eyes wandered the place some more, taking in the tin ceiling and the decorated walls, the dark wood floors, the navy blue curtains next to the stage, the pale yellow color of the stage lights, Aaron’s light blue eyes looking right at her.  
Kayla blinked but she hadn’t imagined it, he was looking directly at her. She turned her head to see if there was someone waving at him, but no one was. She turned back to Aaron and he tipped his chin down and raised his eyebrows at her as if to say, I meant you.  
Kayla could feel her attraction welling up again and without a second thought she stood and left to find Zac. He was at the bar, flirting with his barista some more. Kayla scooted in next to him and quickly said, “Are you staying here? Hi,” She smiled at the Barista before turning back to Zac.  
“What?”  
“Are you staying here?”  
“I was planning on it. Why?”  
“That’s fine. I’m going home okay?” She stood up to leave but Zac caught her arm.  
“Hey wait, are you okay? I thought you wanted to come out.”  
“I did. And now I want to go home.” She said simply.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing Zac,” She smiled at him, “Stay here. Have a good time. I’m just going home okay?” He released her and nodded.  
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
She nodded and left the shop, hurrying down the street to the corner so she could hail a cab. Kayla had learned from an early age that there were some things she couldn’t control, some situations that she couldn’t stop from hurting her, so when something that she didn’t like occurred, she left. Removing herself from the situation was the quickest and easiest solution. When a cab pulled up she told the driver the address of the Institute and he zoomed off into city.  
Just a few minutes later, after coughing up all the cash she had on her, Kayla climbed out of the cab and walked up to the Institute. She pulled her phone out to check the time. Almost three in the morning. Kayla sighed heavily and crossed the threshold into the church before she was rising in the elevator. When she stepped out she started toward her room, but halfway there, she changed her mind. A few minutes later she stood in the doorway of the library, staring at the back of her father.  
He was bent over the table and Kayla thought he was reading, until she got closer. A book was open under his head as he slept soundlessly. Kayla wondered why he never snored like she did, and she assumed it was because he was a light sleeper, unlike her. Kayla approached carefully, almost silently and touched her dad’s thick shoulder, light as a bird.  
“Dad?” She whispered. He didn’t move, “Dad,” She raised her voice a little, “Dad wake up.”  
His eyes opened slowly and he sat up to look at her.  
“Naomi?” He whispered, his husky voice cracked from exhaustion. She felt a twinge of pain twist her heart. This wasn’t the first time he had mistook her for her mother. He always looked so hopeful whenever he made that mistake. As if his love could bring her back to him.  
“No dad. It’s me Kayla.”  
The hope fell from his face and he blinked a few times to clear his vision. He was her stern father again.  
“You’re home late.”  
“Sorry.”  
“You should go to sleep,” He turned back to his books and Kayla fought the urge to scream at him. She walked towards the door of the library, but before she left she paused and turned to look at him again.  
“Dad?” He didn’t move but she knew he was listening, “Why don’t I get asked out on dates?”  
“I don’t know,” He said simply, and Kayla knew she had been dismissed.  
Without really knowing how she got there, she arrived at her room. Robotically she got ready for bed and crawled under the covers. When her eyes closed, she felt hot tears slide over the bridge of her nose and into the soft fabric of her pillow cover.


End file.
